Manufacture of threads, filaments, films, and the like from alginates



Patented June 24, 1947 MANUFACTURE OF THREADS, FILAMENTS, FILMS, AND THE LIKE FROM ALGINATES Ernest Edward Tallis, Meriden, England, assignor to Courtaulds Limited, London, England, a

British company No Drawing. Application December 8,1943, Serial l1$143513,465. In Great Britain February 19,

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to the manufacture of threads, filaments, and, the like, which I will hereinafter refer to as threads, from alginates.

' It is known that when spinning a solution of sodium alginate into a spinning 'bath containing acid, the threads, which are gelatinous, tend to adhere to one another and it has been proposed in British Patent 541,848, which corresponds to U. S. Speakman 2,371,717, to coat the filaments with 011 during or immediately after coagulation and before they have had the opportunity of adhering together, and it has also been proposed to emulsify the oil by means of an addition of a cationic emulsifying agent, such as cetyl pyridinium chloride.

I have now found that threads and the like can be obtained from sodium alginate by spinning a solution of this latter intoa bath containing a salt of an alkaline earth, such as calcium chloride, a small quantity of a cation-active compound such as cetyl pyridinium chloride and a small proportion of an organic acid such as acetic acid, in the substantial absence of free mineral acid. By this process I am able to obtain alginate threads which do not adhere to one another without hit being necessary to add 011 to the spinning bat The proportion of organic acid present should not be so great that any substantial quantity of alginic acid is present in the free state: suitable proportions are, for instance from 0.1 per cent to 5 per cent of acetic acid. with regard to the cation-active compound employed I have found that from 0.01 per cent to 0.1 per cent in the spinning bath is a suitable range, but larger quantitles may be used, provided no substantial proportion thereof is salted out by the calcium chloride.

The following examples illustrate the nature of the present invention, although the invention is not restricted to these examples.

Example 1 8060" in such a manner that it is stretched 37 59 541.848

2 per cent and collected in a spinning box. The yam thus obtained is reeled into skeins and washed with a solution of 0.1.per cent of calcium chloride at 80 centigrade. The skeins are dried at room temperature and conditioned at 65? relative humidity. The dry yarn is free from stuck filaments.

Example 2 The conditions of spinning are the same as in Example 1 except that the spinning bath contains 5 per cent of calcium chloride 0.2 per cent of acetic acid and 0.02 per cent of undecylglycxaline hydrochloride and is used at 27 centigrade. The yarn is washed with a solution containing 0.1 per cent of calcium chloride at 85 centigrade, air-dried and conditioned. The dry yarn is free from stuck filaments.

If'in either of the foregoing examples the liquid used for washing the threads contains traces of alkali metals and/or magnesium, a small proportion, say 0.02 per cent to 0.05 per cent of a cationactive substance should be added to the washing liquid. v

What I claim is:

A process of producing alginate threads free from stuck filaments which comprises extruding a solution of sodium alginate through a multihole jet into a coagulating bath consisting of water, about 5% of calcium chloride, from 0.01% to 0.10% of cetyl pyridinium chloride and from 0.1% to 5% of acetic acid and thereafter collecting the threads formed in a centrifugal spinning box.

ERNEST EDWARD TALLIS.

REFERENCES CITED file of this patent:

UNITED STATES rs'mn'rs Number Name Date 2,125,031 Polak et al. July 2c, 1938 5 2,145,855 Bley res. 7, 1939 2,371,717 Speakman' Mar. 20, 1945 FOREIGN ra'rrmrs Number Country Date 767,875 France May 7, 1934 Great Britain Dec. 15, 1941 

